Wizard of Oz Shoes (Thing #129)

A couple of years ago I bought two pairs of shoes at Famous Footwear.  I really only wanted one pair, but they were having one of their “Buy One Get One 1/2 Off” sales.  I hate those kinds of sales.  But I got sucked in.  I was in one of my (very!) rare fashionista moods, and bought a pair of bright red patent leather ballet flats with silver buckles on them.  Cute enough, I guess.  But, the issue was that they only fit me if I went barefoot, but if it was warm enough to go barefoot, it also meant it was warm enough that my feet would start sweating in an instant in the non-breathable patent leather.  So, I’ve worn them approximately 3 times and regretted each wearing (I’m of the school of thought that says “Life is too short for uncomfortable shoes”).  So, they’ve sat in the back of my closet for the past two years and every so often I look at them and say “I really should wear those.”  But, I don’t.  Because I don’t really like them.

So into the Goodwill pile they go.  I’m sure someone else will be super duper happy to pick up a pair of bright red, barely used shoes and love them to death.  Which makes me happy; almost as happy as I am to get them out of my house.

The lesson that I learned (again!)?  Don’t buy it if it’s not the exact right thing! Or, at least the 90% right thing!  It’ll end up being a waste of money and I’ll end up resenting the thing and the money and who needs extra, self-caused, resentment in their lives?  Certainly not me!  I’ve a feeling I’m going to be writing this post over and over again, as I seem to have a hard time learning this lesson.  Hopefully my new found attention to my buying habits and the desire to reduce my holding (physical and otherwise) will curb such purchases in the future.  Hopefully!

The Driving Spinning Wheel (Thing #110)

Several weeks ago I decided that enough was enough and I didn’t need my spinning wheel anymore.  (No, I’m not an Amish woman or a time traveler from 14th Century England – although the time travel thing sounds intriguing!)  It had sat in the corner of my living room for over 4 years and had been used approximately half a dozen times.  That’s not a good ratio of time:use.  Yes, it looked pretty sitting in the corner, it also worked as a conversation piece when guests came: “Do you actually know how to use that?”.  However, I don’t think those things overcame the fact that it was an extra thing in my house that I didn’t need, especially, when it could garner some decent cash on Craig’s List.  So, I snapped some pics and posted it online.  Two scam emails and one offer for an exchange of live sheep in lieu of cash later, a legitimate buyer came through and I now have an envelope of cash (not sheep!) ready to be deposited into the bank.

And now it’s time for me to reflect.  As I watched the wheel drive away (well, you know, the car drove away with the wheel inside it – damn grammar!), I was a little sad.  The few times I did use the wheel I enjoyed it immensely.  Spinning is a very “zen” activity.  Well, maybe a more correct word is “meditative.”  It’s very quite – there is no whir of a sewing machine or klick/klack of knitting needles.  Your foot goes up and down, up and down in an unbroken rhythm, and you must concentrate enough on the roving in your hands that there is little room for any other thoughts.  If your thoughts do wander, as they often do during meditation (unless of course you are not a beginner like me!), the roving slips, or bunches, or breaks.  There is nothing wrong with this, nothing is broken.  It just gives you an opportunity to reestablish yourself and start over again.

But, as much as I enjoyed my spinning, it didn’t do it nearly often enough to justify the wheel in the corner of my living room and the money not in the bank.  And there are cheaper ways to meditate.  Like, you know, sitting on the floor and simply meditating!  I told a friend that I would be sad to see my wheel go, but in a week I would forget that I had ever owned such a contraption and wouldn’t regret in the least that I had sold it.

Update: I think I was a little generous with the week thing – it’s been approximately 4 hours since my wheel left for its new home, and already I can barely remember what stood in the corner of my living room for 4 years.  How quickly I move on!